Utah has the fastest-growing job market in the U.S., with nearly as many jobs created over the past year as there are people looking for work, according to a new report from the state Department of Workforce Services.

Utah’s workforce grew by 47,900 over the past 12 months, a 3.3 percent increase year-over-year, according to the report released Friday. There were approximately 48,400 people unemployed and actively looking for work.

The state’s unemployment rate sat at 3 percent, the 11th-lowest in the country and a full percentage point below the national average of 4 percent.

“The summer season is bringing new jobs to Utah’s economy,” said Carrie Mayne, chief economist at the Department of Workforce Services. “Growth in various industries presents a multitude of career-advancing opportunities for the state’s job seekers.”

Wages holding

The national jobs report, released last week, showed the U.S. adding 213,000 jobs between June 2017 and June 2018.

Average hourly earnings increased 5 cents to $26.98, with the annual increase unchanged at 2.7 percent. Pay hikes haven’t come as quickly as anticipated in light of the historically low jobless rate, but economists expect annual gains to reach 3 percent by the end of the year.

Utah finished 2017 with an average monthly wage of $3,810, according to the latest Department of Workforce Services figures — about 2.9 percent better than at the end of 2016.

Southwestern Utah has lower wages, with the monthly average for the end of 2017 at $2,908 in Washington County and $2,647 in Iron County. Both had increased by about 3 percent over the course of the year.

Industries that are hiring

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Construction crews work on a road project in St. George Friday, July 20, 2018.(Photo: David DeMille/The Spectrum & Daily News)

Most of the growth was in the private sector, where 44,200 positions were added statewide, good for a 3.6 percent growth rate.

Eight of the state’s 10 private-sector industry groups measured net job increases over the 12-month period, with the only significant losses coming from the information sector, which had dropped by 500 jobs.

The largest gains were in trade, transportation and utilities, with 12,100 new jobs; professional and business services, with 9,100; and education and health services, with 7,200.

Southern Utah's job growth rate

Southwestern Utah was growing slightly faster than the statewide average, according to Friday's report, with the St. George metropolitan area showing a 6.2 percent job growth rate. At an estimated 67,300 jobs, the area had added nearly 4,000 jobs since June 2017.

Washington County’s unemployment rate was 3.2 percent as of May, the latest date for which survey data is available.

Neighboring Iron County showed a 5.2 percent growth rate, having added some 900 jobs and reaching an estimated 18,340 total. The unemployment rate as of May was 3.4 percent.

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